Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Lockdown leaves kuia stranded in Far North

Kuia Rose Greaves on her way home to Auckland after being stranded in the Far North by a cancelled bus service. Photo / Rose Greaves

This week's snap Covid lockdown has left people stranded in Northland and struggling to get home.

They included kuia Rose Greaves, who was visiting whānau in the Far North and had been due to catch an Intercity bus from Kaitaia to Auckland on Wednesday.

When the nationwide lockdown was announced on Tuesday evening Greaves (Ngāti Tara, Ngati Kahu) checked the Intercity website, but there was no mention of cancellations and no number to call.

Later that night, however, she received a text informing her the bus had been cancelled and offering instructions for a refund.

She considered waiting out the lockdown in Northland but had a booking in Auckland for her second Covid vaccination in a few days' time and was keen to get that done.

After putting word out about her predicament on social media, Greaves was contacted by a cousin who had to drive from Taipā to Auckland on Thursday morning.

''Lucky I have lots of cousins,'' she said.

She expected to be home that afternoon.

As of noon on Thursday, the Intercity website stated a limited number of bus services were operating to get people back to their homes. All passengers were required to wear masks.

Greaves, who lives in Ponsonby, made headlines just before the 2020 lockdown when an anonymous letter appeared in her mailbox from someone claiming to be a neighbour.

The letter claimed she was ''an embarrassment to Ponsonby" and was not liked or welcome. The writer also took issue with her use of te reo Māori.

The incident was widely reported after she decided to go public, sparking an outpouring of support and aroha from Greaves' neighbourhood and around the country.